Sports reporter Wes Rucker, who covered Tennessee athletics, has died at the age of 43

Wes Rucker, a longtime sports reporter who covered University of Tennessee athletics, died Feb. 19 in a car accident in Knoxville.

Rooker’s father-in-law, David Goldberg, confirmed the death in a Facebook post: “This is very sad. … We are heartbroken.”

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Rucker, 43, was the only fatality in the multi-vehicle crash on I-40 West, according to a Knoxville police news release that detailed the incident but did not identify the victim. The accident started with a car stopped in traffic and led to a chain reaction of collisions. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rooker has covered the Vols since 2000, working for several media outlets. He most recently served as a writer and host for WBIR-TV in Knoxville.

Rooker was a prolific award-winning journalist, husband and father.

On December 31, Rooker announced that he and wife Lauren are expecting their second child, a daughter, in May. He made the announcement to his 140,000 followers on X in his typically humorous fashion.

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“Rocker baby number 2 is due in May. Hank is having a baby sister. And he insists her name will be Optimus Prime Knight Ninja Rocker. He’s been asking for it every day for weeks. For weeks,” Rooker posted on X .

Police provide details of Wes Rucker’s fatal car crash

One person has died in a multi-vehicle crash on I-40 West, according to a release from KPD.

Around 4:50 p.m., officers responded to a five-vehicle crash near the Cedar Bluff Road exit. It is said that the driver of the bus died on the spot due to the accident.

Police investigation showed that one vehicle was hit from behind by another vehicle and sustained minor damage. Then another vehicle hit the second vehicle, setting off a chain reaction. Seconds later, a large pickup truck ran over and over an involved vehicle, fatally injuring the adult male driver of the crashed vehicle.

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The KPD investigation is in its early stages and is ongoing.

Wes Rucker was the leading voice on the Vols sports beat

The rocker loved covering Vols, arguing with fans and sharing his life on X. This included bragging about his wife, sharing inspirational stories of his son’s health issues and telling funny stories about his fan-favorite dog Sir Angus McCorgeehan, aka Gus.

In 2015, Rucker also chronicled his own health scare, a stroke at age 32. He had to learn to walk again and overcome partial paralysis and migraine headaches. He slowly recovered while writing about the sport he loves and sharing every step of his journey with his numerous followers on social media.

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Rooker was a graduate of the University of Tennessee. He first covered a volume for the student newspaper, the Daily Beacon, in 2000. As a student, he also wrote for the Farragut Press Enterprise, The (Maryville) Daily Times and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Rooker covered Chattanooga athletics for the Times Free Press and then transitioned to the Vols beat in 2007. After that, he served as a senior writer for 247Sports, and a media partnership meant his articles also appeared in Knox News.

In 2025, Rucker transitioned to WBIR, where he continued to cover his alma mater. He was a Heisman Trophy voter and served on All-America panels.

Along the way, Rooker hosted several radio shows and podcasts focused on football and college sports.

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Tributes for Rooker flooded social media after media members, Tennessee fans and admirers of his work learned of his tragic death.

“I’ve suddenly lost a good friend of mine, and I still don’t know what to think,” Tennessean columnist Gentry Estes, a longtime friend and former colleague of Rooker’s, posted on X.

“Wes Rucker was one hell of a writer, but he was also one hell of a devoted son, father, husband, friend. Rip my brother. I will cherish the memories and miss you so much.”

Among the UT press corps, Rucker was known as the last man standing at Neyland Stadium on game days. That’s because the media relations staff often waited until he was done writing, and talking, to turn off the lights in the press box.

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The rocker had plenty to say about anything from the Chicago Cubs and Arsenal Football Club to Alaska vacations and James Bond movies. And he had friends in the sports media that reached far beyond Knoxville.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing to knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel: Sports reporter Wes Rucker, who covered Tennessee athletics, dies at 43.